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NB Power has signed an agreement to buy about 6,000 megawatt hours of power each year for the next 20 years from the Chaleur Regional Services Commission.

The power will be generated from methane at the Chaleur Regional Landfill site in Allardville. The amount of electricity generated is enough to power about 135 homes.

"The Regional Service Commission is doing a great job in delivering on its mandate to provide efficient and effective service for its residents, businesses and community partners," said Environment and Local Government Minister Serge Rousselle. "This initiative will advance our collective efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and help us address the effects of climate change."

Rousselle attended the announcement on behalf of Energy and Resource Development Minister Rick Doucet.

The Chaleur facility now joins three others, in Fredericton, Edmundston and Moncton, which have power purchase agreements with NB Power.

The project and others like it will help NB Power achieve its goal of having 40 per cent of its in-province generation coming from renewable sources by 2020. The power generation is expected to come on line in September 2018. Under the project, biogas will be generated from solid waste that breaks down and creates methane gas. The methane will be captured and burned to generate electricity. The resulting effect is about 30 times less harmful to the environment than allowing the methane gas to escape into the atmosphere. This project is expected to provide about 6,000 megawatt hours of electricity to customers annually over 20 years.

"We are very pleased to make this purchase agreement with the Chaleur Regional Service Commission," said Michel Losier, executive director of energy efficiency and customer engagement for NB Power. "This project is part of our Embedded Generation Program and helps to support small scale, locally owned generation. It is also a great way to use a bi-product of the landfill which otherwise would simply be flared and not used."

"Our group has worked hard to secure the project and we are pleased with the co-operation received from NB Power and government departments," said Beresford Mayor Jean Guy Grant, chair of the Chaleur Regional Service Commission. "This project will benefit our region while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sourcing clean, renewable energy from the grid."

From left: Michel Losier, executive director of energy efficiency and customer engagement for NB Power, Caraquet MLA Hédard Albert; Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Brian Kenny; Beresford Mayor Jean Guy Grant, who is also chair of the Chaleur Regional Service Commission; Environment and Local Government Minister Serge Rousselle; Justice and Public Safety Minister Denis Landry; and Restigouche-Chaleur MLA Daniel Guitard.